Matsuda's Lonely Birthday
by Cana-Puff
Summary: Matsuda's been neglected - And you promised to take responsibility when you took him in as a pet! So now everyone's forgotten his birthday. Aw, poor Matsu, we love you!


**Matsuda's Lonely Birthday**

This was the one day a year that Matsuda could really smile about something. The one day he could enjoy himself during the depressing hunt for Kira. The day he could ignore L's slights at his intellect. So that's why he strode into HQ with the biggest grin that you ever saw.

"Hello, everyone! Have you seen how the sun is shining and the birds are chirping and the people are laughing and-" He was cut off by L.

"Matsuda-san, be quiet! I'm trying to concentrate!" He glowered at Matsuda who yelped like a wounded puppy and skuttled off to his seat, where a big fat nothing was waiting on his desk. Yep, nothing but the pens, pencils, rubbers, rulers and other stationary he had brought in, himself. Oh, and his favourite Winnie-The-Pooh mug. Matsuda sighed and stared at the neat desk.

And stared.

And stared.

...

And stared a bit more. Finally he looked around to see what everyone else was doing. And that happened to be what they always did. Search for clues benefitial to the Kira case. No one seemed to care that it was his birthday. His _special_ day. He was 23 now! He scanned the room to make sure there wasn't a cake in the corner with his name or something. It was then that Matsuda had a sudden idea. He pulled out a pair of compasses and started to carve into the table. It read:

_Matsuda's birthday is on th_--

But he got so far until L spoke up, again, scowling at Matsuda.

"Stop that noise, it's distracting! And don't damage the expensive items we have bought for your use!" Matsuda dropped the compasses in surprise. His lip trembled and his eyes grew wide. "Don't start, please," L said, redirecting his attention to the large, glowing screens infront of him. Matsuda flinched and dropped his head, then snivelled, loudly. L pinched the bridge of his nose. "Don't you dare start cry--" This time L was cut off, as Matsuda let out a loud wail that made the rest of the task force jump.

"You're mean! You're too mean! You yell at me and you tell me to stop being annoying and you even forget what today is! I've told you every day for the past three weeks!"

"What--"

"And I don't know _why_ I'm here, anyway, because I don't _do_ anything 'cept get in your way! And just so you know, it's my birthday! My 23rd! And it looks like I'll be celebrating it alone!" He was pink in the face when he finally stormed out of the front door and down the road. He didn't want to stay and see their uncaring faces, their expressions that said 'You're a useless idiot who should never have been on the police force'.

Matsuda had to admit, though... He didn't know about a lot of what the task force did. Come to think of it, he didn't know why he was even accepted into the police force. Matsuda didn't feel like hanging around his mangy old apartment, with no one but his old tomcat for company (Cats don't make good conversationalists), instead going to a place he'd never been before. A pub.

Walking in, Matsuda was met with a rancide smell of alchohol and smoke. He had to step back out to cough and splutter for a moment before he could regain his breath. Once he'd done that, Matsuda was ready for the smell and stuck it out until he got to the bar where a single bar man was cleaning a beer mug.

"Hello. Never seen you in 'ere before."

"Uh, no. I've never been here before."

"Ah. So, what'll it be?"

"Um," Matsuda peered at the list of drinks behind the bar man before deciding. "An App-le-ti-ni, please?" God, his Kanji was terrible!

"...I'll just give you a beer." Matsuda flushed and nodded. A minute later, he was handed a cold beer. Matsuda eyed it before taking a sip. He nearly spat it out and gagged on the bad taste. The bar man roared with laughter.

"Never 'ad beer before?" Matsuda managed to shake his head. The bar man was about to take his drink away, but Matsuda grabbed his wrist and shook his head. He was going to drink that beer, by god!

_Ten Minutes Later_

"Sho, I jush shtood up 'n told 'im what I thought of him!" Matsuda hiccupped. The girls surrounding him giggled and some wrapped their arms around him, muttering things along the lines of 'Cute!'. Matsuda was comfortable, and _very_ drunk. He took a sip of his beer, which happened to be the one he'd started out with and was now three quarters empty. "I yelled that it wash me birthday-- 'Ave you ever 'ad a birthday? I shelebrated mine ev'ry year, till now, 'caushe mah bosh ish mean!" The girls around him 'Aaaw'-ed and patted his knees and played with his hair. "Anyway, I gotta get 'ome. My kitty needsh food afore he shtarves!" The girls sighed as Matsuda stood up and payed for his drinks before tottering out of the pub.

He reached his appartment and fumbled with the keys, peering blearily at each one. He tried about five before the right one was selected and let him into his tiny, dim appartment. Matsuda stumbled and wavered until he reached the living room and flicked the lights on.

"SURPIIIIIIISSSE!"

"Gaaah!" Matsuda leapt back into the hallway in shock. There was the _entire_ police force, grinning and wearing brightly coloured party hats. Mogi and Aizawa were holding their arms in the air to indicata a large banner that said 'SORRY WE FORGOT; HAPPY BIRTHDAY!' Light was there, and so what L, who had said 'Surprise' in his normal monotone voice before resuming eating a sponge cake. It acctually sounded kinda creepy. Matsuda peered back in before a grin split across his face. "Ohmigosh, guysh!"

"'Guysh'?" Light frowned.

"I can' believe you went ta aaaaall the trouble jusht for li'l unimportant me!" He threw his arms out and attemted to hug L, who was closest, but missed by several inches and toppled onto the floor. "Ooof!" Everyone else stared at him.

"...He's drunk." L sighed. Matsuda popped up almost a second later, grinning sheepishly. The grin slowly faded and was replaced with a look of discomfort before Matsuda was dashing out of the room and into the toilets to throw up. Mr Yagami followed to keep Matsuda's hair away from his face. Light harrumphed.

"I don't care if he's drunk! My mother didn't bake a cake at such short notice just so that it wouldn't get eaten! _And_ we've set up all these games, like pinata, and pin the tail on the donkey and apple bobbing - He likes these childish things, right? We did this because we felt guitly and now he's just going to have to enjoy himself!" He argued. Everyone else in the room rolled their eyes.

_Five Minutes Later_

Matsuda was back in the room with a bottle of water forced into his hands to counter the alchohol.

"Okay, Matsu. How about we play Pinata!" Suggested Mogi.

"Oh, woooow, I love thish game!" He took up the baseball bat and squeezed his eyes shut then took wild swings at the dangling paper donkey. After a few seconds of crazed swinging, Matsuda accidentally whacked Aizawa. "Oh, woopsh!" He giggled when he felt the bat connect with something and his eyes sprung open. Aizawa was being helped up by Mogi and Soichiro. "Shorry, Shuu-Chan! I'll try again," Matsuda attempted to hit the Pinata, before he gave up and made a grab for it. It gave way and fell to the floor, causing sweets to scatter. L whooped and started stuffing them into his jean pockets. Matsuda gave a happy yell and dived into the candy pile, too. He re-emerged, apparently bored with them and swept Light into a crushing hug. Light wrinkled his nose at the smell and patted Matsuda gingerly on the back.

"Uh... Presents?" He ventured. Matsuda's eye's lit up and he squeeled.

"You gotsh me giftiesh for me shpecshial day?! Waaahhh!" He gripped Light tighter and laughed raucously. Light looked disgruntled. "C'n I open 'em now?!"

"Sure...?" Light prised Matsuda off him and went to fetch a plastic bag.

"So... So _many_!" Matsuda looked utterly amazed. Light felt kind of guilty that Matsuda was reacting as he was. He mustn't have expected this because they usually treated him like a fifth wall. "I'll open... This one first!" He pulled out a long and thin parcell from Mogi. He unwrapped it vigorously and gazed lovingly at the fountain pen with his own name written on it.

"Uh... pressed for time," Mogi muttered as explanation, but Matsuda ignored him and pulled out another present. This was rather bizzarely shaped and it was from Light and L. He unwrapped it to reveal a clock with roman numerals around the face. L murmured something about not being late to work again, and Matsuda hugged them both before placing it on a mantle next to an already existing clock. From Soichiro, he recieved a book on various different plants in the world. From Aizawa he recieved a snow globe with the Tokyo Tower inside it.

They continued with the festivities, playing games, eating cake, and so on, until everyone had to depart. Matsuda was sad to see them go but at least he had enjoyed his birthday with them. When he shut the door, he paused. Wasn't there something he needed to do? Something he left the pub for...

"Ah, my cat!"

...The End.

**A/N I have no idea why I ended it like that. I couldn't think of an ending which didn't go on until he went to bed or shutting the door and having a really sentimental thought... Tch, whatever. Review, my flying monkeys! Also, L and Light gave Matsu a present together because L didn't want to have to go find something... Probably.**


End file.
